Romance at the Beach
by TheAce-FanBoy
Summary: Endou and Natsumi have been dating for a few months now, and one day they decide to take a trip to the beach. [Set between Original series and Go.]


_I still remember that day as if I were yesterday...I can still remember everything as vivid as the events of the night before last. _

_The expression "I'm seeing red" was something that on that day became as apparent as the wind on my face. And as the wind on my face blew a cool chill onto my cheeks, I too, was literally seeing red...a hot red flush, that didn't seem to want to cool._

_To my side stood the elegant figure of a young woman, as beautiful in looks as she was in her elegant walk, and her shining presence. Her red-hair, as dazing and shining as the sun itself, which shone down onto her and lit her up like an angel. Her clothing: simple, yet divine; a pretty pink shirt, the picture of a bowl of rice bluntly catching your attention, while her small pink bow sat, just below her neck, perfectly tied into a knot. _

_On her pretty face, laid a simple, yet authentically happy smile, one that seemed to say to the world, "I'm happy, and I'm not afraid to say it"._

_Simply...she was divine perfection. At least, that's what she seemed like to me. She was the most beautiful human being I had ever laid my eyes on, both in her physical beauty, and the beauty of her elegance, her charm...her radiance, and her smile, as well as her heart. _

_In a phrase: I was head over heels in love._

_Which was a new experience, for me. After all, for my entire life, I had only ever loved one thing. The beautiful game of soccer. And I thought I would never love anything else...Heck, as a child I didn't even know about love, or romance. I didn't think I would ever have those feelings...those feelings, where you just want to run to someone, and pull them in close. I didn't even know what those feelings were..._

_But here I was, walking next to her...walking next to that young beautiful figure, with those feelings deep inside me. Feelings I never thought I'd feel...And I never thought I would be able to walk along side her, being able to look her in the eyes, and utter the phrase to myself:_

_'She's my girlfriend'._

_It was a...strange feeling indeed, and one that filled me with embarrassment, yet the most joyful feeling you could imagine. _

_Natsumi Raimon...a beautiful summer lake, someone whom I grew to love...and someone whom loved me back. Someone whom I had shared dates with, someone I'd shared kisses with...the one person whom I loved, whom loved me back...That feeling was the most heart-warming feeling I had ever felt._

_Natsumi turned her head to face me, her smile shining straight at me, warming my entire being up._

"_You look pretty flushed." She stated, her pretty voice reaching my ears. Every time I heard it, it sounded as cute as it ever was...I could listen to her talk about any topic on the face of the Earth, with the happiest smile on my face. After she had spoken, she brightened her smile, which, ironically, just made me even more flushed._

_In part, my red skin and hot temperature was down to the steaming weather that berated us both, but I knew in actuality that there was something else adding to how flushed I was. _

_Despite how often I had seen her, and despite how long we had been dating, I still couldn't help but let my mind wander every now and then...wander into thinking about exactly what was happening..._

_Even through words, it's impossible to express the deep feeling you get, when you think about the fact that such a beautiful, divine woman is YOUR beautiful divine woman. The feeling you get, knowing that the most beautiful living thing ever cast into existence, not only walked along side you...but also calls you their "boyfriend". That feeling...is indescribable. Yet it was one that made me blush...and one that made me realize just how lucky I was to have her._

"_Well...it's pretty hot today." I replied, doing my best not to let my embarrassment show. However, when the other giggled, I couldn't help by scratch my neck to take the attention away from the expression on my face. Her giggle was adorable, and something that made me flush whenever I heard it...which was something I didn't even notice a few years ago._

_Back when I was in junior high, and all I cared about was soccer. Soccer this, and soccer that...back then the Natsumi I now knew was completely different. She was, to be blunt, a stuck up snob, one that didn't seem to care about the soccer club at all...And even after she began to chance, I still didn't see her as anything more then a friend. But now, all these feelings...all these feelings, I have towards her. _

_How funny retrospect can be. ...The woman in that office, who threatened to disband the soccer club. Who would have thought she'd grow to turn into my beautiful girlfriend that walked beside me, and made me flush at her divine nature. The young woman who walked through town, with me, a goalkeeper, carrying a smile on her face._

"_Yeah...it IS pretty hot." _

_Putting the back of her hand to her forehead, Natsumi wiped the sweat from it, before using it to shield her eyes as she looked up towards the sun._

"_I like this kind of weather though. It's better then rain, for starters."_

_As I walked alongside her, I nodded with a smile. It was a good thing we had decided to head to the beach for the summer holidays, considering how hot it was...and walking along the seaside shoreline with Natsumi was all he needed to take his mind off the heat caused by the sun._

"_Hey, how about we get some ice-cream?" I suddenly heard the excited voice cry out next to me. Turning my head to face the other, I see a large smile aimed at me, causing me to scratch my neck. Although she had asked it in such an excited fashion, just the simple prospect of eating something cold felt like heaven right at that moment. After all, both of us were boiling like lobsters in a pan._

_So we did just that, and stopped at a small stand which sold ice-cream cones...Of course, the ice-cream money came straight outta my wallet, just the same as everything that day. Although that wasn't anyone's fault but mine...I was, after all, rather love struck, and I seemed to have lost control of what I was spending._

_Still, when I felt the ice-cold chill of the popsical on my hands, I knew that it was money well spent. Something to cool both of us down was exactly what we needed. _

_And so, we both walked over to a small bench that sat on the edge of the beach itself...something that I had to say, was welcomed greatly by my feet. We had been walking for a while now after all, and my feet, as well as Natsumi's I imagined, were crying out in pain._

_As I took the wrapper off from my ice-popsical, I looked to the side at Natsumi, who had already begun to lick at her ice-cream cone. I have to admit, at that moment, I paused what I was doing, and my eyes became fixated onto the other using her tongue to take licks of the white product...For some reason it was just...appealing. I have no idea why, or even what about seeing one's girlfriend licking at ice-cream makes someone feel a sexual sensation, but for a brief instance, such a sensation echoed throughout my body. That is, until I eventually shook it out of myself after a few seconds, ripping the wrapper from my own cold-food product._

_Shoving it into my mouth, I began to suck at it, the fruit juices melting away into my mouth. It was very refreshing, giving my entire body the boost that it need to survive in the extreme heat._

_Letting out a relaxed sigh, I turned to the other._

"_I feel much better now," I stated, before taking yet another lick. "I really needed that!" _

_Natsumi nodded in agreement. _

"_Yeah...this ice-cream's great." _

_Much to my surprise, Natsumi had turned to face me, showing that some of the ice-cream had managed to find its way into the tip of her nose. It was such a funny and adorable sight, that I couldn't help but blush, while chuckling at the same time, causing her to look at me with a confused expression._

"_W-What is it...?"_

_I continued to chuckle, until eventually pointing at my own nose. Natsumi realized what I was indicating, and rubbed at her nose, getting the ice-cream that was on it onto her fingers._

_Noticing that she had ice-cream on her nose, she got slightly embarrassed, and her checks turned red, which I just found even more adorable. ...EVERYTHING about her eating that ice-cream was adorable, and even then I wasn't too sure why. Maybe it was just the fact that, yet again, she was my girlfriend. Or maybe the thought that this woman eating ice-cream next to me was the same girl I had met in that office as a 13 year old made it cute in retrospect. Or maybe just the blind, ignorant love I felt towards her made everything she did seem a billion yen._

_Whatever the reason, I couldn't help but find that it, somewhat ironically, warmed up my heart._

_After both of us had finished eating our cool-downs, we stood up and continued on, walking down the shoreline, eventually reaching the main section of the beach itself. On a small portion of the raised pathway, there stood changing rooms, in which people could change from their street clothes, into their beach suits free from public sight._

_We both stopped, and looked around, noticing that the place was pretty packed._

"_I-I...don't know...maybe I should just go onto the beach in my normal clothes...", Natsumi stammered out, while rubbing her own arm. I turned towards her, the expression on my face a mixture of confusion an concern. _

_Asking her what she meant, I already had an inclining...After all, she had already expressed her dislike for her own looks in the past, and particularly, there wasn't much she would like about walking around on a beach in a beach suit. _

_Still...obviously, I had no idea why she even thought this stuff. I thought she looked incredible, inside and out...although, obviously, I had never actually seem her in anything but normal clothes until now._

"_W-Well...I...just..."_

_As she stuttered to find an answer, I decided to step in. I knew what she was gonna talk about, and I thought she was talking complete crap. Even if I hadn't seen her in beach ware before, I knew she would look stunning. _

_I just KNEW. She would be stunning, no matter what. That's what I felt...that's what the love I felt towards her made me think. _

"_Natsumi...well you don't have to, obviously...but..." I gave her a warm small. "Well, just remember: What others think doesn't matter! Just be yourself!"_

_Natsumi looked to her side, before her checks turned red. She obviously wasn't expecting such a response. _

"_I...W-Well...f-fine..."_

_Without even a second more of notice, Natsumi suddenly lifted up her shirt, revealing that underneath she already wore a bikini, before doing the same with her shorts._

_...Noticing this, I stopped, dead in my tracks, and my entire body went completely stiff. ...I...I certainly wasn't expecting that...not one bit, and when she did it, I couldn't help but immeditately freeze up._

_After all, that's pretty much the natural instinct response when someone takes their clothes off in the middle of the street. It was...unusual, for such an act to be considered normal. _

_Then even after I had gotten over the shock of such an act, I suddenly had my eyes scan her entire, revealed body, taking in every detail of her bare skin...her curves and her legs...and her arms...her face, her chest...everything about her...her physically beauty...was incredible. Maybe I was just, again, blinded by love and exaggerating how she looked in my mind, but I didn't care. She was...stunning. Completely stunning, and I couldn't believe someone so beautiful actually wanted to be my girlfriend..it was...insane. Even after being together for a few years...things like this reminded me of how insane it was._

_As you may imagine, I went such a deep red, that I'd imagine even a blind person would have noticed, and Natsumi certainly did seem to notice my wandering eyes as she got rather embarrassed herself._

"_...Well...what do you think?"_

_I couldn't even speak at that moment. After all the time we had spent together as a couple, going on a good 6 or so months, I had yet to see her like this...and it was such a moment, that I felt my entire ability to speak drain from within me. _

_It sounds clichéd...but she was so stunning that it made me speechless. Maybe to others, she didn't look good at all. But I didn't care...even if this was blind love making me see beauty, I still saw beauty...I saw a stunning figure in front of me, the figure of a woman whom I loved. _

"_..." I tried to speak, but words wouldn't come out. Eventually, I forced myself to speak up the only words I could manage. "...G...Good...G-Gosh..."_

_Natsumi wrapped her arms around her own body, as if trying to somehow hide herself, as her checks turned a deep shape of red._

"_...I...Is that a good-good gosh or a bad-good gosh...?"_

_Yet again, all I could manage to do was stand there, solid as a plank, as I forced up the word, "...G...Good."_

_Natsumi's red cheeks turned even more red then before, as she took in my response. I don't think she really believed in my words herself though, but she quickly changed the subject._

"_W-Well...I did it so...your turn."_

_Suddenly getting knocked from my trance by her words, like I was struck with a soccer ball, it took me a second to take in exactly what she had said. _

"_M-My turn? ...O-Oh, right."_

_I felt myself heating up, for some reason, despite the fact that Natsumi had already seem me top-less a number of times in the past. But each and every time, it was just as embarassing as the last...revealing his body to her like that...He was somehow scared that he would scare her into dumping him each time. _

_With the only thing for me to do being to remove my shirt, I did just that, leaving only my underwear and shorts on. Straight away after I did so, I could see Natsumi scanning my body, seeming embarrassed as she did so. _

_For some reason, at that moment, I felt like I had let myself in for a fall. After all, I seemed to have gained a bit of flab recently, and so I was sure that the sight being viewed by Natsumi was that of shock and horror. _

"_...Y-You look good..." she stated, although her statement seemed to have made her so embarrassed, that she covered her cheeks to hide the intense blushing she developed. I couldn't help but get very embarrassed over such a statement myself, and I found myself rubbing my arm._

"_...T...Thanks..Y-You...look beautiful...y-yourself..."_

_I had finally managed to pull some words up, but just like with Natsumi, it made me so embarrassed that I covered my face with my hands. _

_It was strange...strange that a couple who had spent years together could still feel this embarrassed over such things. But since this was our first time seeing each other like this, at the same time, it was somewhat special._

_Plus I still hadn't gotten used to complimenting Natsumi yet...even though, to be frank, I've wanted to on many occasions._

_But now, both of us stood there, red as blood, trying to overcome the embarrassment, while my eyes continued to look over her body. _

_Then, eventually and thankfully, Natsumi eventually spook up. "T...Thanks...W-Well, I guess...w-we should go...o-onto the beach..."_

_With the two of us now in our "beach attire", I nodded and we both, somewhat stiffly, walked onto beach proper. _

_The beach itself was rather large, and all sorts of people, from families, to lovers and friendship groups were spread out all over the place. The tide was out, meaning that the distance from the shoreline to the actual shore was a rather long way._

_As we walked in between the different people that were all having fun, I began to picture the last months in my head, and all the wonderful time I spent with Natusmi..._

_It sure was a whirlwind of a ride. And one I never expected would have happened. But it had, and now I just felt joy...After all, what else was there to feel? Walking in the sunshine, on a beautiful beach, next to my gorgeous girlfriend...that was all I needed. This was paradise...and still, a part of me didn't believe it was possible, even after all this time. _

_As I reminisced, I felt my hand suddenly being grabbed by someone...someone else's hand, wrapped itself around mine, holding onto me. _

_It was Natsumi's hand, and as she held onto my own, she turned towards me, that typical warm smile shining from her face. _

_She squashed at my hand, gently, and I gave her what can only be described as a ridiculously cheesy grin back. Such a simple act; a squashing of a hand, and yet it meant so much, filled with so many emotions. _

_We began to swing our arms gently, as we walked, hand in hand down the beach towards the shore itself, as obvious that we were a couple as could be. But we, or at least I, didn't care about that...I was in a love bubble and I couldn't escape from it, after all._

_Reaching the shore eventually, which was pretty much devoid of people apart from the odd person, We continued to hold hands as we both stared out at the sea, and I took in a deep sniff. The strange smell of seaweed, along with salted water entered my nose, and as I took it in, I looked around, and noticed that there were some little kids kicking a inflatable ball around in the distance._

"_Heh...remember when that was all you could think about?" Natsumi asked, obviously having noticed the same thing as I._

"_Yeah.." I replied, letting out a nostalgic sigh. Memories flooded into my head, of the Football Frontier...the soccer club, and it's apparent incoming disbandment...Natsumi and her father. Aliea Academy and the Football Frontier International...His grandfather, and Natsumi helping them reunite. Everything...he owned soccer for a lot in his life...including Natsumi. _

"_...Soccer is my everything." _

_I looked up to the sky, watching the birds fly by, closing my eyes. "...Soccer, I owe it a lot."_

_Opening my eyes again, I let out one last sigh, before looking back out at the sea again. _

"_Without soccer...we never would have met."_

_I suddenly felt my hand getting squashed lightly again, causing me to turn and look at Natsumi. _

"_Soccer...I owe it a lot too..." She began, before a flush ran over her yet again. "...Without it, we wouldn't be together."_

_At that moment, an inflatable ball landed near to my feet, stopping the conversation in it's tracks. Looking down at it, I then looked up when I heard the voice of a young child come from my left._

"_Hey, mister! Can you pass the ball here?"_

_Looking to face the kid, I grinned over and nodded. "Yeah, sure thing!". Flashing a quick smirk at Natsumi, I kicked the ball over, before using my free hand to give a sort of salute to the kid, who rushed off to continue playing with his friends._

"_...See, that's why I love soccer. ...Those kids. Who knows? One day, they could be world pros."_

_A few seconds of silence passed, until I felt Natsumi let go of my hand, although before I even had the time to question as to why...I felt two arms wrap themselves around my shoulders, before someone pulled my body close to theirs. As I gazed into Natsumi's beautiful red eyes, I was about to speak...when I was suddenly unable to use my mouth._

_Natsumi connected her lips on to mine, the flavour of the ice-cream she had eaten earlier transferring into my mouth, while the sweet strawberry flavour that her lips naturally produced, spread onto my lips, like a knife spreading butter onto bread. _

_Closing my eyes, I wrapped my arms around Natsumi's waist, before kissing her back. I wasn't exactly experienced at this sort of thing, but I didn't really care, or think about that at the time. _

_As we kissed, time seemed to go in slow-motion, and I could feel the entire world outside of Natsumi fading away...everything else didn't matter. Nothing else, apart from Natsumi...her body, her lips...she was all that mattered in that moment. Her, and her strawberry lips. _

_I supposed that, at least, they were both as inexperienced as each other. But still, he felt like those seconds lasted for hours...and that with each passing minute, it only got better and better. _

_I was caught up in it...it was spectacular, and I wanted it to last all day..._

_Slowly, Natsumi stopped, and pulled her lips away, but kept her arms around my shoulders. I did the same, keeping mine around her waist, as we both stared into each other's eyes._

_Silence feel over us for a few seconds, and I enjoyed just the thought that I was holding onto my girlfriend...Natsumi Raimon, and that she was holding onto me._

"_...T-There's...something I've been meaning to say...for a while..."_

_Natsumi slowly let her arms go from around me, so I did the same to her. "What's that?"_

_She looked down at her feet, while fiddling her thumbs. "...I...Well, it's kinda obvious now...with what we've done and all but...I..."_

_She stopped, and looked up at me,before closing her eyes. Taking a deep breath in, she finally let it out..._

"_...I love you."_

_Hearing those words come from her mouth...was like some sort of weird dream. Even through the kiss and through the many dates...and even though everything we had been though, the words "I love you" have such a strong meaning. A crush is a crush...it comes and it goes. But...this wasn't a crush any more. It wasn't just dating your crush to see how it goes...This...was it. _

_Those three words. Such simple words, and yet they launch so much. So many emotions, so many new beginnings. After all, anyone can date...anyone can feel feelings towards someone. _

_And even if it was obvious...even if we knew by now, that there was something more between us...even if I knew that Natsumi was someone I considered to be someone I loved...hearing the words out loud, the words "I love you"...it somehow manages to have a big impact._

_That's why, after I heard those words, I stood there for a moment, letting it sink in._

_She...LOVED me. _

_She...didn't just have a silly crush on me. No, she actually was in love with me._

"_...Natsumi..."_

_At first I struggled to find how exactly to word what I was about to say. After all, this was such a big moment. After all, my girlfriend just said the "three holy words of romance"..._

_And I supposed that the only way to respond to those words would be in the only way that he knew how. _

_I gently clasped her hand into my own, and gave out a warm smile._

"_...I love you too."_


End file.
